- Thomas Magnum: Hey, uh, Higgy, did I misread that text, or did you just get fired?
- Juliet Higgins: Uh... not fired, uh, exactly. Just temporarily un-hired.
- Thomas Magnum: See, this is what happens when I'm not there.
- Juliet Higgins: Okay, did you just call to gloat? Because I actually have a triple homicide to solve.
- Thomas Magnum: Oh, okay, so you're still working the case?
- Juliet Higgins: Yeah, I mean, Ella may need her dad's permission, but I certainly don't. And, you know, a little pro bono never hurt anyone.
- Thomas Magnum: I am gone for one day and you bring Fun Higgins to work?
- Juliet Higgins: I'm always fun.
- Thomas Magnum: Okay, well, Fun Higgins has some jokes, 'cause you're definitely not always fun.
- Suzy Madison: Hey, stranger.
- Rick: Hey. Hi.
- Suzy Madison: Hi.
- Rick: [hugging] Oh. Wow. Can I touch your belly or is that weird?
- Suzy Madison: Go ahead. It's your kid in there. It's only weird when it's some rando at the market.
- Juliet Higgins: Ooh, you're looking dashing. New shirt?
- Rick: Aw, nice of someone to notice.
- TC: Suzy's coming back today.
- Juliet Higgins: Oh, that's right. How are you feeling about your imminent reunion?
- Rick: I'm a little nervous, hoping we can pick up where we left off, uh... hey, you want some breakfast?
- Juliet Higgins: [seeing TC's non-verbal head shake] Uh, no, thank you. I have already eaten this morning. I'm actually just here to meet a woman named Ella, a new client.
- TC: Where's TM?
- Juliet Higgins: He's spending the day with a Vietnam vet in hospice.
- [her phone chimes]
- Juliet Higgins: Oh, it seems my client has just arrived.
- TC: [looking over her shoulder] You ever speak to this client?
- Juliet Higgins: No. We just exchanged e-mails. Why?
- Rick: Uh, 'cause "woman" might be pushing it a bit.
- TC: [turning around, Higgy sees a teenage girl] Missing pet?
- Rick: I'm gonna go with lost diary.
- Bob Braddock: You call this a strip steak?
- Nurse: It's plant-based. Tastes just like meat, but it's better for you.
- Bob Braddock: Lady, I'm gonna be dead before this comes out the other end.
- Juliet Higgins: I have to go and meet Adam Akamu in an hour.
- Thomas Magnum: The lone survivor? What do you want with him?
- Juliet Higgins: Well, new evidence suggests that the killer's motive might have been personal, and I'm hoping he can tell me why.
- Thomas Magnum: Okay, well, if you have any more issues, feel free to call in for reinforcements.
- Juliet Higgins: Reinforcements, right. And that's... that's you, is it?
- Thomas Magnum: Admit it. You miss me, you know? I-I'm the secret sauce, Higgy.
- Juliet Higgins: Okay, what has gotten into you? Have you been drinking?
- Thomas Magnum: What?
- Juliet Higgins: You have! In the middle of the day whilst I'm here, hard at work.
- Thomas Magnum: Well, n-no, technically, you're unemployed. But, uh, unrelated, what are you doing later? Any chance you can pick me up?
- Juliet Higgins: [hanging up] Goodbye, Magnum.
- TC: You know I love taste-test day.
- Rick: Hmm?
- [seeing TC's reaction]
- Rick: What?
- TC: Uh... not to stifle your creativity, but, uh, is there fish in this smoothie?
- Rick: Fish *oil*. Rich in omega-3s. Plus we got leafy greens, antioxidants. That right there is a tall glass of pure health.
- TC: Yeah, you can't put that on the menu.
- Rick: Oh, no, no, that's not for the menu. That's for Suzy. She gets back today, so I gotta, you know, step it up. That smoothie has all the nutrients that she and the baby need.
- TC: It ain't gonna help if she throws it up.
- Rick: Oh, come on. It can't be that bad.
- [taking a gulp and groaning in disgust]
- Rick: Good God, man. How can you let me drink that?
- TC: Didn't go so well with Suzy, huh?
- Rick: You know, it started great. I mean, we're talking, we're laughing. It was everything I wanted it to be. And then she says we should be friends. Total curveball.
- TC: I'm sorry, man. I know that's not what you were hoping for. You know, but... from the day you two met, nothing's gone to plan.
- Rick: That supposed to make me feel better?
- TC: I'm just saying, Suzy and this baby are two of the best things that ever happened to you. And you ain't see either one of those coming. Curveball ain't always a bad thing. Come on, what did we say in the Corps whenever things went sideways?
- Rick, TC: Semper Gumby.
- TC: Yup. Always be flexible. Maybe stop stressing about where you and Suzy end up and just... see where it goes.
- Rick: So, be cool. Go with the flow.
- TC: Exactly. And let her take point. You just make sure you watch her six.
- Juliet Higgins: [after being knocked unconscious] What are you doing? What happened?
- Clara Bolton: What happened was you couldn't leave well enough alone.
- Juliet Higgins: It was you. You killed them.
- Clara Bolton: Feels good to finally admit it.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: Higgins, hey. I think you and the kid might've actually cracked this thing. Got ballistics back on the gun. Lab confirms it's our murder weapon. It's registered to some guy on the mainland. But get this, his ex-wife lives two doors down from the Akamus. Her name's Clara Bolton. I'm just waiting on a warrant. Call me back.
- Juliet Higgins: I'm truly sorry for this morning. I assure you that I don't normally let children ride shotgun on triple-homicide investigations.
- Cole Vaughn: What do you want?
- Juliet Higgins: Well, for the first time in years, there's been a break in the case.
- Cole Vaughn: I don't believe this.
- Juliet Higgins: Look, I promise, I-I won't keep Ella involved, but if I could just take a look at your wife's early work with fresh eyes...
- Cole Vaughn: No. When my wife was diagnosed with cancer, we were told she had a year to live. One year. We didn't even get that. Why? This case. She was obsessed with it 'til the bitter end. This case stole my wife from me. I'm not about to lose Ella down that same rabbit hole.
- Juliet Higgins: With all due respect, have you asked your daughter why this means so much to her?
- [he shakes his head]
- Juliet Higgins: I think if you did, you'd find that she's not just looking for answers. She wants to make amends, to get closure, and not just for herself. Adam Akamu lost his whole family five years ago. And to this day, no one's told him why. Please.
- [he moves aside to let her in]
- Juliet Higgins: Thank you.
- Juliet Higgins: Dare I ask how your day went?
- Thomas Magnum: I think it went well. Me and Bob got off to a bit of a rough start, but... yeah, I think I helped him out.
- TC: Ah, he's being modest. He brought that man's estranged brother back into his life.
- Thomas Magnum: Hey, you can never get the years that you lost back, but you can make the best of what you have left, right?
- Juliet Higgins: It's no small thing. Today, I met a family and a young man who didn't get to have that. It's a real gift you've given him. Good on you.
- Thomas Magnum: Wow, first I get Fun Higgins and now I get Sweet Higgins?
- Juliet Higgins: Well, don't worry. I'm pretty sure Drunk Magnum won't remember a thing tomorrow.
- Thomas Magnum: [laughing] Probably right.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: I spoke to the P.A. She plans to go for the max.
- Juliet Higgins: Which means, thanks to you, Ella, Clara is going away for a really long time.
- Cole Vaughn: Well, we appreciate the house call. We know you've had a long day.
- Ella Vaughn: So, how much do I owe you, Juliet?
- Juliet Higgins: [short laugh] Uh, well, Ella, you saved my life today, so I reckon we're square. Thank you.
- Cole Vaughn: Your mom would've been so proud of you today. I know I am.
- Ella Vaughn: [his hug goes on longer than desired] Okay, now you're just embarrassing me.
- Adam Akamu: Not a day goes by I don't think about what happened. Finding them like that.
- Juliet Higgins: I can't imagine.
- Adam Akamu: I keep re-living it. W-What if I had been home? Could I have stopped it? And all this time, I just figured it was some random robbery. But to hear they were targeted?
- Juliet Higgins: Is there anyone you can think of who might have had a motive to harm your family?
- Adam Akamu: No.
- [remembering something]
- Adam Akamu: But, uh, I can't believe I'm saying this.
- Juliet Higgins: Well, any detail could help, Adam.
- Adam Akamu: There was a rumor going around that my mom was having an affair.
- Juliet Higgins: Was there any truth to it?
- Adam Akamu: Until today, I didn't think so. They seemed happy, but I was 14. A neighbor saw something, I guess.
- Juliet Higgins: Did the police know about this?
- Adam Akamu: They're the ones who told me. I didn't know anything, and... honestly, I didn't want to.
- Juliet Higgins: I can understand that.
- Adam Akamu: But five years later, with no answers... the truth can't be worse than that.
- Juliet Higgins: Hi.
- Thomas Magnum: Hey, there she is. How you doing, Higgy?
- TC: Couldn't believe when I heard that kid got you into real trouble.
- Juliet Higgins: Yeah. Well... and yet I think I still fared better than Magnum here.
- Thomas Magnum: Hey, I took one for the team, all right? You never let a dying man drink alone.
- TC: Yeah, what you need is a little hair of the dog. You in, Higgy?
- Juliet Higgins: Yeah. Sure. Never let a dying man drink alone, as they say.
- Cole Vaughn: Thank you, again. Both of you.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: We're just doing our jobs.
- Cole Vaughn: Oh, not just for solving the case but for looking out for us. Until today, I didn't realize how much anger I was still carrying. That's not the kind of man or father my wife would've wanted me to be.
- Juliet Higgins: Hmm. Well, I didn't know Phoebe, but... I'm certain this case never meant more to her than you and Ella. If she was... anything like me, it would've just been easier to solve the Akamu case than... than to find a way to say goodbye.
- Rick: I owe you an apology. I came on way too strong earlier, and I could've been more supportive of your decision.
- Suzy Madison: You don't need to apologize.
- Rick: Yes, I do. Truth is, you're right. You and I, we're not the priority anymore. This baby is. And whatever you feel this family needs, I'm here for it. For both of you.
- Suzy Madison: Thank you.
- Rick: Case in point, this brand-new, top-of-the-line Babyletto baby crib.
- Suzy Madison: Full disclosure, you're still coming on a little strong.
- Rick: Yeah, but, like, for the baby, it's cool, right?
- Ella Vaughn: Ms. Higgins? Hi. I'm Ella.
- Juliet Higgins: Hi, Ella. It's lovely to meet you. You can call me Juliet. So, how can I help you?
- Ella Vaughn: I need you to help me solve a triple homicide from 2017.
- Juliet Higgins: Postmark indicates the letter was sent from the same area that the robbery/homicide took place. Also, the author appears to be left-handed.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: Yeah. Ink smudges are a dead giveaway. Unfortunately, one in ten people are left-handed. Doesn't really narrow it down too much.
- Juliet Higgins: Right. So, if we want any real answers, the items need to go to the crime lab.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: And the Cold Case Squad.
- Juliet Higgins: Well, yeah, but, you know, they probably have their plates full, and... look this is personal for the girl. If we hand this stuff over, we're surely gonna get tossed aside, and then who knows how long 'til Ella gets any answers?
- [as if on cue, Ella comes up to the desk]
- Juliet Higgins: I thought asked you to wait by the vending machines.
- Ella Vaughn: I figured it was more of a suggestion.
- Ella Vaughn: Five years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Akamu and their daughter were shot and killed during a robbery. They also had a 14-year-old son, but he snuck out to sleep at a friend's house, so he wasn't there. He found them when he came home the next morning.
- Juliet Higgins: That's awful.
- Ella Vaughn: The Akamu case was the fourth in a string of robberies my mom was working on. The case went cold, but...
- Juliet Higgins: She couldn't let it go. Ella... I just wanna caution you not to get your hopes up. It seems like your mother was incredibly thorough, and, honestly, without any new information, it's very unlikely we'd be able to solve this.
- Ella Vaughn: But there is new information.
- [showing her an envelope]
- Ella Vaughn: This came in the mail the week my mom died. Only I just found it.
- Juliet Higgins: [taking out the contents] "If you want to solve the Akamu case, look behind the abandoned house at 3285 Beaumont. In a tree hollow." That's interesting.
- Ella Vaughn: So... I went there. Rang the bell. I told the guy I left something in the woods before he moved in and I asked if I could get it. He slammed the door on me.
- Juliet Higgins: Well, that's rather rude. Look, maybe we should loop in the police with this new information. I have a friend in HPD, and he would...
- Ella Vaughn: Please don't tell him. I'm worried if we hand over the letter, I'll be kept out of this and no one will take it seriously.
- Juliet Higgins: Well... I'm taking it very seriously.
- [closing the case file]
- Juliet Higgins: Okay. Let's go.
- Ella Vaughn: Where?
- Juliet Higgins: Back to 3285 Beaumont.
- Ella Vaughn: [finding a gun in a tree hollow] Is that a .38?
- Juliet Higgins: Yes. How did you know that?
- Ella Vaughn: A .38 was used to kill the Akamus. That has to be the murder weapon.
- Juliet Higgins: Yeah. It seems our cold case just got a lot warmer.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: You look just like Phoebe.
- Ella Vaughn: You knew my mom?
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: Mm-hmm.
- Ella Vaughn: So, you'll help us?
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: [glancing at Higgins] I'll call the crime lab and ask for a favor. We can go from there.
- Cole Vaughn: What the hell do you think you're doing?
- Ella Vaughn: Dad, hear me out.
- Cole Vaughn: No. Your school called when you didn't show up.
- Ella Vaughn: W-Wait, Ella. If this is your father, then who did I speak to on the phone earlier?
- Ella Vaughn: I may have paid a guy 20 bucks to answer the phone and do some improv.
- Ella Vaughn: Doesn't look like anyone's home.
- Juliet Higgins: Let's make sure, shall we?
- Ella Vaughn: How?
- Juliet Higgins: By finding out who lives here and getting their phone numbers, I can track their current location.
- Ella Vaughn: So, you're hacking them.
- Juliet Higgins: Of course not. That would be... improper.
- Ella Vaughn: And illegal.
- Juliet Higgins: Indeed. Look, can I trust that any of the tricks of the trade you learn today will never be copied?
- Ella Vaughn: Indeed.
- Juliet Higgins: Why don't we take a lunch break? You must be hungry.
- Ella Vaughn: No, I don't want to stop. I'm fine.
- Juliet Higgins: Well, we're kind of in a holding pattern 'til we get the results back from the lab, so...
- Ella Vaughn: There has to be something more we can do. We have to keep going.
- Juliet Higgins: Look, I understand your desire to do this for your mum, I really do, but... I feel like there's something else going on here. Am I wrong? Why don't you sit down? Talk to me.
- Ella Vaughn: [doing so] She was sick for a whole year. It was really hard to watch. One day, I was playing a video game, and she wanted me to read with her, but I didn't want to stop playing. We had a fight. I said really terrible things, then ran to my room and slammed the door. The next morning, she was in a coma. And a week later, she was gone. The things I said... what if she died thinking I meant it?
- Juliet Higgins: Ella... it took me only 15 minutes to tell how special you are and how much you loved your mum. I am certain that she knew it, too. Okay? And even though you didn't get to have a proper goodbye, it doesn't change those ten years that you shared with her.
- Ella Vaughn: We can still keep going, right?
- Juliet Higgins: Yeah, of course we can. Maybe if-if we can figure out what your mum's last move was, we can just pick up where she left off.
- Ella Vaughn: Well, that's easy.
- [taking something out of her backpack]
- Ella Vaughn: This is my mom's notebook. She wrote this note a few weeks before she died.
- Juliet Higgins: "Talk to neighbors about Ellsworth"? Any idea what that means?
- Ella Vaughn: I looked through everything, and there's no Ellsworth anywhere.
- Juliet Higgins: Well... let's ask the neighbors, shall we?
- Juliet Higgins: So... what makes you so interested in a five-year-old murder case?
- Ella Vaughn: It was the one case my mom couldn't let go. She was a detective with HPD. She... worked on it until she died, just over two years ago.
- Juliet Higgins: Oh. I'm so sorry.
- Ella Vaughn: She didn't have enough time to solve it, so... I wanna do it for her.
- Juliet Higgins: Well, I would love to help you, but, um, it's just, given your age, I'm a little reluctant to continue without permission of a... of a guardian.
- Ella Vaughn: Yeah. I figured. My dad dropped me off. He's probably still in the car.
- Juliet Higgins: Right.
- Ella Vaughn: [dialing her phone] Hey, Dad. Yeah. She wants to talk to you.
- Juliet Higgins: [taking the phone] Hello, Mr. Vaughn, it's J... yes. I just wanted to make sure you... right. Yes. She, uh... she does seem very grown-up. If you're okay, then... okay. Great. Bye.
- [hanging up]
- Juliet Higgins: Your father will be back to pick you up this afternoon. So, uh, why don't you bring me up to speed on the case?
- Ella Vaughn: So, what are we looking for?
- Juliet Higgins: So, Adam Akamu said that early on, HPD were investigating a rumor that his mum was having an affair. They moved off it as a motive once robbery became a theory, but now that we know the robbery was staged...
- Ella Vaughn: You think we oughta check it out.
- Juliet Higgins: I do. I mean, if Mrs. Akamu had an angry boyfriend, that could be our killer. I just... I can't find any mention of it in your mum's notes yet.
- Ella Vaughn: That's 'cause we're looking in the wrong place. Older stuff is in the closet, back shelf.
- [opening the closet]
- Ella Vaughn: Hey, Dad, can you help? It's that one.
- Cole Vaughn: [taking a box off a shelf and setting it down] Okay. What are we hoping to find?
- Juliet Higgins: Uh, statements. Anyone claiming to have firsthand knowledge of the affair.
- Ella Vaughn: How about gossip?
- Juliet Higgins: Hmm?
- [taking papers from her]
- Juliet Higgins: This woman says she heard of the affair from Clara, who claims to have seen the couple in the flesh.
- Ella Vaughn: But didn't we already talk to her?
- Juliet Higgins: Yeah, we did. She might be the only person to have ever seen our killer. Time I paid her another visit.
- Ella Vaughn: Have you talked to Juliet?
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: I just left her a message.
- Ella Vaughn: But she hasn't called back?
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: What's wrong, Ella?
- Ella Vaughn: She left to follow a lead, like, an hour ago, and she's not answering texts. Dad says she's just busy, but I've got a bad feeling.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: Do you know where she went?
- Ella Vaughn: To talk to one of the neighbors.
- Detective Gordon Katsumoto: [becoming alarmed] Which one?
- Ella Vaughn: How's it going?
- Juliet Higgins: I haven't found what I need just yet, but I'm not giving up.
- Ella Vaughn: Dad said I could help.
- Juliet Higgins: Mm, forgive me, but I'm gonna have to hear that from him this time.
- Cole Vaughn: It's okay. We talked, and... well, I think I get why she needs to see this through.
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